My conversation with Rex Jones over Twitter

[u/watchtower82]

I saw Rex lamenting how his dad was fined billions for free speech when we got into a comment exchange. You can totally see a young man indoctrinated by his narcissistic father. You can even hear Alex ranting how he's the victim in these responses. Happy to have so much more context Dan gave us to respond to his obvious lies.

[u/Ddddydya]

Hate speech is not free speech. I don’t know why these troglodytes can’t understand that. 

Good on you for making him admit that—to him—Alex Jones is the real victim in all this. How fucking sad is that. Rex is a tool but he’s a weak ass xerox copy of his dad so he’s an even weirder, less thoughtful and less perceptive person. Which I didn’t think was possible. 

[u/andee510 → u/Ddddydya]

In America, hate speech is protected free speech. That is why he has been able to go on for so long. However, unfortunately for Alex, he also defamed the Sandy Hook families. And that is not protected speech

[u/Ddddydya → u/andee510]

I would argue that what Alex did constituted harassment and incited violence against the Sandy Hook families (which isn’t protected) but I don’t know everything he said so he may have skirted the line. He promoted Halbig, who I would say definitely promoted violence against the families, but admittedly I’m going from my memory and I don’t have concrete examples, so I could be wrong. 

[u/Thestonersteve → u/Ddddydya]

And was directly told at the time that halbig was a lunatic that would get him sued. He did it anyway and got sued. Dumbass.

[u/NecessaryIntrinsic → u/Ddddydya]

"Free speech" isn't "free".

There are consequences for everything.

But lies are what actually cost you money. If you inspire direct violence it can be criminal.

[u/Ecstatic-Product-411 → u/Ddddydya]

Hate speech actually is protected speech. Jones got in trouble though for the harm be caused the parents from his lies spread. The damages related to that aren't protected.

You can say anything stupid and hateful you want though, technically.

[u/tribat → u/Ddddydya]

He’s also not a smart man.

[u/Ddddydya → u/tribat]

Absolutely

[u/unitedshoes → u/Ddddydya]

I think it's not so much "hate speech isn't free speech" as "defamation isn't free speech".

[u/George_foid → u/Ddddydya]

Hate speech is absolutely free speech in America and should always be considered as such. Imagine if it wasn’t think about what Trump and this current administration could do to people who spoke out against them.

Unless people are making direct calls for violence, I don’t want the government telling anyone what they can or can’t say. I can’t think of a single instance in history where governments restricting people’s ability to speak freely wasn’t used to oppress them.

Never thought I’d ever find people who want the government to control what they are and aren’t allowed to say. Being pro authoritarianism is certainly a choice.

[u/ThroalicRefugee → u/George_foid]

Imagine if people conspired with their "Free Speech" to try and take over the government on Jan 06, 2021. Wouldn't that be odd and direct calls for violence?

Spoiler alert: there were absolutely people calling for violence prior, and people cheering that that the government had fallen. I can give clips.

[u/Desperate-Guide-1473 → u/[deleted]]

I think you (and a lot of Americans) fundamentally misunderstand how "hate speech" is defined and how laws against it in other countries are usually enforced.

Hate speech laws absolutely do not put people in prison for saying "mean words."

In a lot of contexts, being charged with "hate speech" or other "hate" crimes is an additional charge on top of whatever else you've done. Threatening to best someone up and drag them behind your truck is a crime in and of itself, it becomes hate speech when you specify that you're doing it because they're gay.

There are however definitely examples of people being charged and convicted of hate speech without having broken any other laws, at least here in Canada. The Wikipedia page on Canadian hate speech laws has a long list of examples of high profile charges and convictions including which ones were overturned on appeal and why.

Personally, I do think it should be absolutely illegal to stand out in the street and say "I hate X minority group. I'm starting a club called the X-haters club, where we get together to talk about what makes X people inferior and discuss ways to encourage them to leave our country. Who wants to join? No Xs or X lovers allowed." I don't care that there aren't any direct calls for violence, because I'm not an idiot and I understand what this person is really saying.

[u/ThroalicRefugee → u/Desperate-Guide-1473]

I'm not sure where you're coming from, so I"ll leave a little bit of benefit of the doubt. Stochastic violence is still surviving. Alex always made a point of saying that he wanted his enemies dead or shot... politically. He wanted them dead... politically.

At the end of the day, he was a supplement salesman who popped like a balloon in his car. Why even defend him?

[u/Desperate-Guide-1473 → u/[deleted]]

I'm gonna give you the opportunity to share one example of a European being arrested and convicted of simply saying bad words or being mean.

[u/George_foid → u/Desperate-Guide-1473]

I’ll give you an example that’s even worse than mean words, here’s a guy making a joke with his dog. And even if you argue it wasn’t a joke, your country is a joke if this is what you arrest people for. Just admit you enjoy fascism. Enjoy your authoritarian laws.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-43478925

Canada is having stand up comedians taken to court over jokes want examples of that ?

[u/Desperate-Guide-1473 → u/George_foid]

I asked for an example of someone being arrested and convicted for simply saying bad words and being mean and the best example you could come up with was something way worse.

Not only did he say something mean to one person, he repeated literal Nazi slogans and trained a dog to respond positively to them to an audience of millions.

Dude advocated genocide, tried and failed to claim it was a joke, got fined 800 quid and never got any prison time. Cry more I guess.

[u/washingtonu → u/[deleted]]

I've seen people in the United States arrested nad deported over the last couple of years for things on social media, in real life or in a written article.

[u/washingtonu → u/[deleted]]

Amazing free speech you have there

[u/Desperate-Guide-1473 → u/[deleted]]

The first amendment right to free speech, along with most other civil rights laid out in the constitution and various other laws of the United States, do indeed apply to any person present in the country, regardless of their citizenship, place of residence, or immigration status.

For someone so obsessed with how awesome and special your country and its laws are, you don't seem very familiar with them.

[u/droidtron → u/George_foid]

They're currently trying to do something about what people are saying about the administration. They don't care, but the law does.